Love Somebody
by lenfaz
Summary: Nathan is devastated about losing Haley and Brooke battles her feelings for him. One partner, written for a Fic Exchange


Fic Title: Love Somebody

Author: Lena

Rating:4, Not suited for people under 13

Disclaimer: I don't own OTH nor "Love Somebody" lyrics by Robbie Williams.

This was written as an answer to Janet's challenge... here is what she asked

Pairing: Brooke/Nathan or Brooke/Lucas  
Tone/mood: Dark/Angst/Romance  
One element/theme/item you want your gift to include: Rain  
Common cliches you don't want your gift to include: An overangsty Brooke or Lucas. Character deaths.

Pairing: NB

Dedicated to: Janet, I hope you like what I wrote. Ivonne, Paulina and Stace, for being he kick butt girls of TWC, Firecrackers, for always believing in NB, Karen's Café for always make me laugh and Mara, for having faith in my writing.

Love Somebody

_And let's hope that spring's eternal for everyone _

_Your lifetime in a second_

_All the damage done_

Rain was falling heavily on the outside as the little raindrops collapsed against the window glass. Brooke Davis gazed outside as she sat nearby the window, her legs curled next to her body, silently sipping her tea. She sighed deeply as she pressed her forehead against the cold glass. He'd be there in no time. She could feel his presence near her, almost suffocating her. He'd arrive, drunk as usual, his heart broken, his life dreams shattered, looking for a friend to confort him.

She'd comfort him, caressing his hair while he crawled in the couch with his head on her lap, crying salty tears he could only show to her. And she'd whisper sweet tender words to him, telling him everything would be OK, that she'd come back to him eventually, once she'd realized he was the one she wanted.

He'd fall asleep with the sound of her tender voice and she'd softly kiss his forehead, put a blanket over him and head back to her room, tears running throughout her face for the unrequired love she could not have.

The doorbell rang and Brooke stood up silently. She sighed deeply as she opened the door and faced the tall dark figure in front of her.

"Hello Nathan" she whispered

A few weeks passed by and Brooke was at her place, fixing herself some dinner after a lonf day at work. She overheard on the news that Nathan's team had won yet another game and they looked strong for play offs. She smiled nostalgically, hoping for some joy in her friend's heart. But she knew it was probably a hopeless wish.

Her doorbell rang. She went to get the door and found Nathan smiling at her with a small bouquet of callalilies.

"Going out on a date?" she asked smirking

He smiled sadly "No, these are for you, for putting up with my ramblings, among other things"

"Come on in" she said motioning him inside "I was about to have dinner. Want some?"

"Sure, I cannot remember when was the last time I had a homemade meal" he replied as he helped her setting up the table.

"Don't get your hopes to high, cooking was never my area of expertise"

"Anything would be OK" he replied as he went to where she was and hugged her from behind "I don't know what I'd do without you" he whispered

Brooke sighed deeply as she knew what was coming. It had happened before. Sometimes, loneliness would get into her and into him and strike so hard that they would just collapse into each other, seeking in their bodies a comfort for their souls.

But it was a short solution to a problem that remained unsolved at the end of the day. Sometimes, it would even make it worse, because she'd end up missing his body next to hers, missing his breathing on her neck.

Missing his heart that never belonged to her.

"Nathan" she whispered slowly as she succumbed to the feelings for him she could not control anymore.

Rain was falling all over him, but he did not care. Everything was gone, ruined. Not even the numbness of alcohol was enough to make him forget. It was over. Someone else had stolen her from him. Someone else had the one that he once thought only belonged to him. But did she ever belong to him? Had she ever felt the same? Sometimes he thought she had felt it too, but some other times, he couldn't help but believe it had all been a lie.

Those days were hard, because if it had been a lie; if the only thing he'd ever felt real had been a lie, then nothing made sense. Then his life had never made sense. It had been nothing but an empty waste of time, of breathing.

His insecure steps took him to the one place he could seek comfort in, where he could sink in her body and forget everything else.

As he was getting there, he spotted her light figure from the window. She was by the table, a piece of newspaper next to her. The same article that had broken his heart was laying on her table. He was approaching the house when she lifted her head and the view paralyzed him.

There were teaers in her eyes. Sad tears of a broken heart. That shook him. He knew she'd be sad for him but this was not what he'd expected. It seemed something more...

Then he witnessed as her eyes went to the callalilies he'd given her and the tears started to pour more fluently. She burst in a cry that broke Nathan's heart.

Because he could see it now. He could sense it. The touch of her hand in his hair, the soft tender words, the small little details. The way her body responded to his caresses and the way she caressed him. The way her eyes would look at him and a sparkle was in them.

A tear went down Nathan's cheek and it mixed with the rain that was still falling as he realized how Brooke really felt. How much he must have hurt her with his behavior. He could not bear that thought. Not on top of everything else. He slowly turned around and walked away from her place, while Brooke stood there, unaware of what had happened, unleashing her broken heart into tears.

Nathan kept walking, lost, with the rain and his thoughts as the only company in the dark night of his soul. How could he'd been so blind? How could he not see it when it was right in front of him all along? All those little details he should've seen and that now took a whole new meaning.

Now that he could see it, it was unleashing all sorts of mixed feelings. Feelings he never thought he had were there, fighting to be heard over the numbness of his soul. At the same time, he could not help but wonder what was real. The feelings he'd been having all along, pursuing what he thought was the real thing... what if he was chasing a fantasy, something that had never been there? What if the feelings he started to feel when he saw Brooke crying over the callalilies were the real thing? What if she was the real thing he neglected to see all this time?

_It'll come in your sweet time Lord _

_I've just got to let you in_

_The blind leading the blind Lord_

_Getting underneath your skin_

_I can feel you in the silence_

_Saying let forever be_

_Love and only love will set you free_

Something was there. He knew it... he'd probalby known it in the back of his mind all along. Otherwise, why would he go to her every time? I wasn't just physical, because most of the time he'd just go there to hear her voice, to hear her telling him everything was going to be OK. To feel that someone cared.

And he knew she cared. What he did not know, until this night, was that he cared too.

Brooke heard the doorbell and tried to dry the tears from her face. She tried to smile while answering the door, because she knew Nathan needed her. She was expecting him to arrive devastated, drunk, the way he usually showed up at her door. The way he would do that night, especially that night.

But Nathan was standing there, soaking wet, with a bouquet of callalilies in his hand. He looked sober, and while he might look a little sad, he was not the complete wreck Brooke had expected.

"Hey" he whispered softly

"Nathan, I'm so sorry" Brooke replied

"It's OK, Brooke" he said as he hugged her tight, feeling her body pressing next to his. Then he pulled apart "Here, these are for you. I figured the other ones were pretty much dead by now, so..."

"Thanks" said Brooke, without quite understanding what was going on

As she went to get a vase for the flowers, Nathan stood next to the couch

"You've been crying" he said slowly

"Just some allergies" she lied to him

"Right... Am I supposed to believe that?"asked Nathan and Brooke looked at him puzzled

"What is it with you tonight?" she inquired

Nathan sighed deeply "It's finally over... it's time to let go" he said

"I'm so sorry, Nathan" Brooke replied "but maybe one day she'd change her mind"

"I don't know" he said "All this time I've been wanting her, chasing her, believing it was real, that what we'd had was real when..." he trailed off

"When what?" asked Brooke

Nathan looked at Brooke as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him "When the real thing was standing in front of me all this time. When what we have was real"

Brooke's eyes filled with tears "Nathan..."

He caressed her cheek "I mean it, Brooke, I really do. It took me a while to realize it, but there is a reason why I keep coming back to you and it's because I love you. And it's real"

And then he kissed her.


End file.
